‘Clones,’ ‘Spider-Man’ Lead Holiday Weekend to a Record

An army of manufactured clones and an anthropomorphic spider dominated a record Memorial Day weekend at the nation’s movie theaters.

The twin blockbusters “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones” and “Spider-Man” continued to climb the all-time best-grossing film charts, but there was enough room for three new arrivals to distinguish themselves: the suspense films “Insomnia” and “Enough,” and the new family animated movie “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.”

The top 12 movies grossed an estimated $193 million for the four-day period, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, sailing past last year’s previous record by nearly 9%. That brings the box office year-to-date figure to about $3.5 billion.

As expected, “Attack of the Clones” was the top-grossing film, posting an estimated $61.2 million over the four-day holiday in 3,161 theaters and about 6,000 screens--only a 41% second-weekend drop--and an average take of more than $19,000 a theater.

Over the past 12 days, “Clones” has clocked $202.5 million, crossing the $200-million threshold a day ahead of its predecessor and three days behind “Spider-Man.”

Still, “Clones” will continue to be measured against the giddy heights already achieved by “Spider-Man.”

On Friday, Sam Raimi’s live-action comic book topped $300 million, getting there in a record 22 days (“Phantom Menace” did it in 28). Over the four-day holiday, “Spider-Man” registered an estimated $36.5 million in 3,875 theaters and more than 7,500 screens.

With $334.3 million tallied so far, it’s already the sixth-largest-grossing film of all time in the United States after only a month in release.

Now Spidey’s going after fifth place--”Jurassic Park” ($357 million)--and stands a chance of reaching “Phantom Menace’s” $431-million total, the second-highest tally, before it’s through (“Titanic” is No. 1 with $600 million).

Audiences eager for alternatives turned to effects-less movies such as third-place “Insomnia,” Christopher Nolan’s remake of a recent-vintage Norwegian cop drama. The first four days for the well-reviewed film, starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, came in at about $26.2 million in 2,610 theaters, attracting a fairly evenly mixed audience in terms of age and gender.

DreamWorks’ latest animated feature, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” broke through with the family audience and younger women for a strong fourth-place finish estimated at $23 million in its first four days in 3,317 theaters.

Having established a foothold, “Spirit” is looking toward even greener pastures over the next several weeks as schools across the nation empty out and a pattern of consistent midweek attendance takes hold.

Not until the live-action film version of the popular cartoon series “Scooby-Doo” arrives on June 14 will “Spirit” have any head-to-head competition.

Critics were cool to Jennifer Lopez’s woman-in-peril thriller “Enough,” which opened in fifth place with an estimated $17.5 million in 2,623 theaters, drawing younger females and a broad ethnic mix, according to Sony marketing/distribution head Jeff Blake.

The British arrested-development comedy “About a Boy,” starring Hugh Grant, is doing moderately well, especially considering the competition. In its second weekend, the film expanded to 1,749 theaters and climbed to an estimated $10 million for an 11-day total of nearly $22 million. “Unfaithful,” starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, also got a bump from the holiday, with $7.7 million in 2,401 theaters and a three-week total of more than $41 million.

Teens were still showing up for “The New Guy” in its third weekend, which brought in about $5.5 million in 2,374 theaters for a total to date of $24. 5 million.

In ninth place, audiences were still catching up with “Changing Lanes,” the longest-lived movie in the top 10, which grossed an estimated $2 million in 1,258 theaters for a total of nearly $65 million.

In 10th place was “The Scorpion King,” which is nearing the end of a profitable run with about $1.9 million in 1,527 theaters and a six-week total of $88 million.

Among the specialized releases, the biggest splash came from “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a new adaptation of the classic Oscar Wilde comedy, which got off to a dandy start with $470,000 on 38 screens--more than $12,000 a theater. The film expands to 125 screens this weekend.

Roman Coppola’s exploration of the 1960s, “CQ,” got off to a $43,000 start on seven screens in New York and Los Angeles. “Enigma” continues to draw an audience, with $429,000 in 102 theaters, for $1.8 million to date.